Ehrlich vetoes bill making changes in the state elections board

April 09, 2005|BY A SUN STAFF WRITER

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoed a bill yesterday allowing the state Democratic and Republican parties to pick members of the state elections board. The bill also would require all five election board members to have been confirmed by the state Senate before they could fire the elections administrator.

Democrats pushed for the legislation after Ehrlich and his allies unsuccessfully tried last year to oust state elections administrator Linda H. Lamone by placing on the state board Democrats chosen by the governor but not vetted by the party.

The board is composed of three Republicans and two Democrats when a Republican is governor, and two Republicans and three Democrats when a Democrat is governor.

The General Assembly is expected to try to override the veto today, continuing the partisan wrangling that has dominated the 2006 Assembly session.

A dispute over Ehrlich's nominees to the elections board led, for a time, to Miller holding up confirmation of more than 100 gubernatorial appointees to boards and commissions.